Method of and apparatus for drawing continuous sheets of glass.



P. YOURGAULT.

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR DRAWING, CONTINUOUS SHEETS 0F GLASS.

APILIGATIOH FILED MAY 15 H205 941,866.

Patented Nov.- 30, 1909..

3 SHEETSSHE ET 1.

E. POURGAULT. METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR DRAWING CONTINUOUS SHEETS 0FGLASS.

APF'LIGATIOR FILED MAY IE, 1905.

Patented Nov. 30, 1909 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

LPQURQAULT METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR DRAWING CONTINUOUS SHEETS 0FGLASS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 15, 1905 941,866. v Patented Nov. 30. 1909 3SHEETS-$111131 3 Mazzeaee a, Zj pg f n x zflzwdafaui-cawz c KW 9 Z;

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cross sections 59 :1 piece I; of

55 The piece I) is l UNITED PATEI'ZQ iz EMILE FOURCAU-LT, 6FLGIDELINSART, BELG'IUK.

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS F93 DRAVIING: CONTINUOUS iiEETfi 9E ilfiefrlfi.

flpeeification of Letters Eatent.

Patented New. 3i}.

Application filerl May 15, 1905. Serial No.2$ .571.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known-that l, EMILE FOURUAULT, engineer, subject of the King ofBelgium, residing at Lodelinsert, Belgium, have invented certain new anduseful improvements 10 No. 201,763 of April 6, 190%, relating to themanufacture oi sheets of glass by tlrew 111g, .1 have shown a refractoryfloat having an opening ilieretlirough for supplying the glass Zlllll tofacilitate the drawing operation. This float; is more or less dipped themolten glass for regulating the sup-. ply. By this process the sheetsobtained often have Wrinkles or streaks on their surfaces. This defectis the result of improper mixture of the glass when drawn and e loci;

of homogeneity of the molten glass.

The method and. apparatus of the present invention has for its essentialobjece to pre vent the formation of Wrinkles or streaks by operating towork up the glass at the 3o-of the sheet during drawing.

. Inthe accompanying drawings: Figure .l is a. transverse sect-ionthrough the eppera- 11s.: embodying the features of the invenlion. Fl".2 is :i longitudinal section of the fig. 3 is :1. plan YlQW. Fin. at isa cross sectional VlOW of the roller howing details of constructionthereof anal the operation of the in the molten Fig.

0 a sectional elevation particularly showing one of .the rollers and thehollow metal lie shalt therefor. Fig. (i is a cross sectional vie w ofthe rollers and e (lingrmnmutic illustration of guide rollers tocooperate with the 'r'nvn sheet. Figs. {incl 8- are detail of therollers showing addicooperating therewith. Fig. cross FIOCilOIl showinga. slight lllOlltll feel-ii gliies is inclosetl in e tank 0.; l u'l'orymaterial floats on the molten unrl is use-fl not only for retaining limpurities of the surface of the molten flHHS. but also for preventingtoo great rm Ion ol heat from its surface. (hill in its lower portionwith e longish-amen aperture extending cools when In order to obtain esuitable consisteney of.

therethrough and cornxnuifiiceting With en enlargement of the someaperture at the ugper portion for a purpose "which Will he presently setforth. In this i oel 5 two roll ers (Z d of refractory mete are mount,(5d, the Stiltl rollers dipping into the molten These rollers arecert-led on hollow metallic sheftso 211ml (2 for cooling the sameinternally by ii. C-UJi of suitable liquid. On these shafts are fixertoothed wheels 2", f, preferably in the form of sprocket Wheels, whichtlit'; connected through the medium of endless chain ells, not shown,with other toothed Wheels adapted LO- bit? rotated either mechanicallyor by hand to set up 21 rotation of the two shafts e, e oml the rollers(5, cl. By rotating the rollers d, d in either one of two directions,they will operate to draw along lass ivl ch adheres to th ir lowerportions, ft-IKl. the coating will he thicker as the rollers are colderent'l the "less more viscous. ln iither Words the COlilfil portions ofthe rollers will have o thielazeit' eotiting oi glass, or will telre upmore of the glass. Theee rollere, operate practically as rotary pnmgs orlifting means for supplying the glass at the basis of the sheet drawn.It the eylinclers e and d are disposed at :1 suitable distance from eachother, the coatings of glass thereon will come into contact and form asmell accumulation of semi-liquid glass between the rollers. The sheetiron. or belt. forffeerling the glass will he brought in between therollers at the point Where the accumulation of senselieuicl glass islocated and slowl draws o April 5, 1904, the hail; being conventionallyshown by Fig. l es i5".

Figs. at and. 5 particularly illustrate how the glass passes around therollers cl when these rollers are nearly in eontiiet anti rotated in thedirection of the arrows g and g. The glass which passes around therollers it leaves the bath of glass.

the glass at the base of the sheeh clravvn, it is only necessary to varytheepeerl of rotation and the diameter of the rolls. The

fluidity of the glass .rneyloe easily regulated thermore, if the speedof rotation of the rollers (Z and Z is such as to feed to the basis ofthe sheet it an amount 'of glass greater than can be carried up with thesheet, the excess of glass will run 011' or out at is at the ends of therollers and return to the tank a, which will result in a horizontalmovement and effect a lateral drawin ,whlch will further prevent theformation oi? streaks liable to be produced by a contraction of themolten sheet. 5 c

Fig. 6 illustrates the rollers as being spaced a greater distance andalso extended deeper into the molten glass, and indicates that undersuch conditions a proper supply and a suitable consistency of the glassmay be maintained between the rollers without liability'of a break ofthe glass subjected'to the drawing action. The asbestos coated rolls 7',j, asdisclosed by my patent and application hereinbeforementioned, areillustrated in cooperation with the rollers 03, d in Fig. 6.

Fig. 7 illustrates the rollers d and d'-rotated in opposite directionsto show that the glass may be practically drawn under such conditions.

It will be understood that the rollers thus far described and directlyengaging the molten glassand also similar rollers which willsubsequently be referred to may be varied as to their dimensions andmaterial. used in their construction.

. rollers.

In Fig. '7 metallic rolls Z Z are used with i the rollers d, d, therolls Z Z operating to roll and cool the coating of glass on the roll d,d and reducing more or less the dimensions of the glass passingovcr thesaid The rolls Z, Z are tubular and are cooled by a circulation of wateror other suitable cooling liquid theret-hrough. ,The direction ofrotation of the rollers Z, Z is indicated by the arrows in Fig. 7 asbeing reverse to the rotation of the rollers (Z, a l, and if desired therollers Z, Z may be grooved as Z Fig. 9, to form designs which may beimpressed or printed on the'drawn sheet of glass, andby this meanssheets of grooved glass maybe produced.

Fig. 8 shows rollers m, m similar to the rollers Z, Z located closer tothe drawn sheet, and operating particularly to retain a greater quantityof lass at the base of the drawn sheet, the rol ers d, d in thisinstance rotating outwardly and the rollers m, m rotating inwardly. i

From the foregoing it will be understood that the method of drawingsheet glass in accordance with the prchcnt invention consists inpreparing a mass of molten glass and conveying a portion of the moltenmass to a sheet drawing point and continuously replenishing the supplyof molten glass as the drawing operation proceeds. In addition to theoperation of preparing and. drawing the I the molten glass, a floathavin an I senses glass just eXipIained a portion of the sur race of\the ;molten mass is ,contin'uonsly moved away from the two facesof thesheet as drawn and also from the two ed es of the latter. This method isnot depen out upon the precise mechanism shown in various forms, butmaybe pursued with any analogous mechanism. r

The glass in accordance with the present apparatds and method ismechanically moved to a drawing point. By mechanically moving the glassit is meant'to be understood that means are employed other than the containing receptacles, openings in the latter,

conduits and float blocks, for moving the glass to a point of drawingindependent of gravitation alone or the tendency: of all liqaids to seeka level in connected receptacles.

Having thus described. is claimed, is:

1." In an apparatus for drawing a continuous sheet of glass, thecombination of rollers for supplying less at the'basis ofthe sheet V tobe drawn, t e'rollers being dipped into an opening therethrough in whichthe rollers are disposed, and means for operatin the rollers.

52. In an apparatus for rawing sheet glass, the combination ofa'receptacle for molten glass, at float disposed inthe rece therethroug1, and revolving means carried held in the opening ofthe latter;

the invention, what 3. In an apparatus for drawing "sheet glass, thecombination with a receptacle 'for molten glass, a float depressed intothe re- 'ceplaclc and into the molten glass therein;

and having an opening therein, and a pair of rollers-held'by the floatand disposed longitudinally with respect to the latter.

a. An. apparatus for drawing sheetglass, comprising a receptacle for themolten glass, a bait for drawing the glass in sheet form therefrom, andrevolving means extendin approximately throughout the width of the sheetdrawn and from between which the sheet is drawn.

5; In an apparatus for drawing sheet glass, the comblnation with areceptacle for the molten glass, a bait for drawing the glassin sheetform therefrom, and revolvin devices approximately of the length 0. thewidth of the sheet to be drawn and from be tween which the sheet drawn.

6. In an apparatus for drawing sheet glass, the combination of areceptacle for molten glass, a. bait for drawing the glass in sheetformtherefrom, of two revolnble bodies arranged in parallel relation andhaving a length approximately the same as the width of the sheet to oc'drawn and from between which the sheet is drawn by the bait.

7. In an apparatus for drawing {sheet glass, the combination of areceptacle for molten glass, a bait for drawingthe glass in point andcontinuously replenishing the moltenmass to the base of the sheet drawn.

23. In a machine for drawing sheet glass, the combination of areceptaolecontaining molten glass, means for drawing a sheet of glasstherefrom, and means for simultaneously moving a portion of the moltenglass in the receptacle to a drawing point and continuously replenishingthe molten glass 10 at the base of the sheet drawn and to parts of thesurface portion of the moltenlniass In testiniony whereof I havehereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses. V

\ EMILE FOURCAULT. Witnesses:

ARTHUR REGNIEN, C. BASTIER.

